A Quick Guide to Connecting SAP Lumira to SAP HANA

Learn about the connectivity options between SAP Lumira and SAP HANA. See how direct connectivity to SAP HANA models enables efficient data exploration and how connectivity through a semantic layer enables users to easily navigate through complex data to build storyboards and present data effectively.

Learning Objectives

Reading this article, you will learn about:

The available connectivity options for SAP Lumira

The concepts of direct connectivity and managed connectivity

How to connect to SAP HANA directly and acquire data

How to connect to SAP HANA via the semantic layer

How to connect to SAP HANA via the SAP Universe Query Panel extension

Key Concept

Direct connections enable SAP Lumira to connect directly to multiple data sources. This provides users with technical names and data and is more useful for data analysts to explore data. Managed connections are connections accessible through the BI Enterprise. They enable users to connect to the database via the semantic layer, enabling them to present data in business terms.

SAP HANA enables fast processing of massive raw data to churn out relevant, clean key performance indicator (KPI)-ready data. When molded into appropriate visualizations, these KPIs provide business users with insightful information that can be used to influence business-critical decisions.

SAP Lumira’s native connectivity, coupled with its intuitive interface, makes it the preferred tool to work on SAP HANA-based KPIs (Figure 1). SAP Lumira (formerly SAP BusinessObjects Lumira) also integrates into the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform, enabling end users to work on the web without the need for any software to be installed locally. With each new release, SAP Lumira has added connectivity options to new data sources. Since SAP Lumira is native to the SAP HANA platform, it can be used to explore data, build storyboards, and visually represent the output of SAP HANA models.

Figure 1

SAP Lumira connection options

SAP Lumira facilitates direct connectivity to SAP HANA as well as through a managed connection over a semantic layer with SAP BusinessObjects. For data exploration, direct connectivity comes in handy since it facilitates browsing through data quickly and deriving relationships. For data presentation, a BusinessObjects Universe would provide ease of use along with user friendliness. Managed connections are made available through the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform and have security and access levels associated with them.

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Vinayak Gole

Vinayak Gole is a senior Business Intelligence consultant with 15 years of experience in IT across multiple business domains. Part of the global SAP Analytics Center of Excellence at Tata Consultancy services, Vinayak has been engaged in architecting solutions on SAP Business Objects suite including Lumira and Business Objects cloud.